A sourdough pizza restaurant in Edinburgh has marked the start of 2026 by launching a new retail range in strategically designed packaging across 15 stores.
The range of sourdough balls, sourdough bases, and topped pizzas can be found in farm shops, delis, and artisan stores across Scotland – with East Pizzas, located in the capital’s St James Quarters, having plans to eventually branch into supermarkets.
Founded in 2017 by Roly Simpson and Rob Marshall, the duo swapped their corporate careers to open a restaurant in Leith, after meeting at the Edinburgh New Town Cookery School. They later expanded with a second premises in Morningside, before moving all operations to the St James Quarter in 2021 after being headhunted for a spot in the Bonnie & Wild food hall and marketplace.
The pandemic highlighted the potential success of a retail range, when the temporary closure of restaurants saw a pivot to selling fresh dough and later plain pizza bases to supplement the takeaway offering.
Roly revealed the bases have proved particularly popular with pubs, restaurants, and cafes which had a desire to offer excellent pizzas but had previously struggled to source quality bases.
The launch into retail comes at a time of increasing demand for sourdough, driven by greater understanding of the health benefits and artisan properties. East Pizzas has designed its packs to spotlight the quality of the product.
“With the packaging we specifically made it so you can see the pizza,” Roly revealed. “We also made it a bit more muted. If you look at a (pizza) shelf in a supermarket, the packaging is very bright and colourful – but our strategy is to go with something a bit more muted that stood out because of the product itself.”
The pizzas are visible in the packs, with only a small section covered by a label which contains sourdough messaging and playful characters based on the ingredients.
“It’s difficult because you want to make it playful, but you don’t want to undermine the product itself whilst also not taking yourself too seriously,” Roly explained. “We added the characters in to try and make things lighter.”
With sourdough dough often considered intimidating, due to its perceived complexity and variables, East Pizzas’ new range simplifies it for consumers – with the product rising to touch the lid of the container once ready, giving an easy indicator of readiness.
Initially launching in the frozen section, East Pizzas is now working with a number of companies to identify ways to package its pizzas in a way that ensures both extended shelf-life and sustainability – with vac pack bags currently being used as a stop gap.
“We’ve had an incredible response thus far,” Roly concluded. “I think it’s the focus on being that local pizzeria. We know what we’re doing; we’ve sold pizzas to people in restaurants and seen their reactions. We’re not just going through an exercise in a factory trying to make a product; it’s born out of an experience in restaurants.”
